The Western New York Flash picked up the option on contracts for WPS Defender of the Year, Whitney Engen, starting midfielder Becky Edwards and backup midfielder Beverly Goebel today. Engen and Edwards also were loaned to Swedish teams and Goebel to a club in Finland to finish out the European season. Marta and outside defenders Ali Riley and Rebecca Moros are the only players who started Saturday’s WPS title game set to become free agents. Kandace Wilson also will be a free agent. Forward Alex Morgan is under contract for 2012 and the club has options on most of its other key players, including forward Christine Sinclair, midfielder Caroline Seger and goalie Ashlyn Harris.

The Flash certainly will try to bring back most of its best, coach Aaran Lines said. In regard to Sinclair, he said: “She’s a keeper.” Retaining Engen was crucial to the defense. The player who along with Harris also helped the University of North Carolina win the 2006 NCAA crown gave Lines, just a third-year head coach, and his staff, including former Rhinos goalie Scott Vallow, high praise for their development of players this season. “This is the best training environment I’ve ever been a part of. I can honestly say that,” Engen, 23, said after the regular-season finale, a victory over Atlanta. “The practice quality, the intensity – I would compare it to the level I see with our U.S. national team because there are that many people working their butts off in practice, not shying away on any tackles and you see the best out of everybody every day. You can’t ask for a better place to train.”

That’s quite an endorsement and if I were Lines something I’d clip and save to show potential free agents the club will try to lure.

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Jeff DiVeronica has covered professional soccer and the Rhinos for the Democrat and Chronicle since the team's inception in 1996. "Devo's Direct Kicks" takes aim mostly at Rochester soccer, but will also highlight the USL, MLS and U.S. national team play. Devo, his nickname since college at St. John Fisher, also hosts two weekly radio shows each Saturday on WHTK-AM/FM (1280/107.3 or www.whtk.com). "Kick This!" (11 a.m.) features soccer talk, while the Canandaigua National Bank High School Sports Show (noon) covers Section V sports. E-mail Jeff at jdiveron@DemocratandChronicle.com.
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